Return to Peyton Place (TV series)

Return to Peyton Place
Original cast. Front row on stairs, from left: Larry Casey, Julie Parrish, Warren Stevens, Kathy Glass, John Levin, Bettye Ackerman. Back row on stairs, from left: Stacy Harris, Frank Ferguson, Joe Gallison, Mary K. Wells. Standing right: Evelyn Scott and Guy Stockwell. Standing left: Ben Andrews, Ron Russell, and Pat Morrow.
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	425 + 1 primetime special
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	20th Century Fox Television FMC Productions
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	April 3, 1972 – January 4, 1974

Return to Peyton Place is an American daytime serial which aired on NBC from April 3, 1972 to January 4, 1974. The series was a spin-off of the primetime drama series Peyton Place rather than an adaptation of the 1959 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious.

The storylines from the daytime show were a continuation of those from the primetime series. Both James Lipton and Gail Kobe worked as writers on the series during its run. Frank Ferguson (as Eli Carson), Evelyn Scott (Ada Jacks), and Patricia Morrow (Rita Jacks Harrington) reprised their roles from the earlier series.

Selena Cross, a major character in the original novel and the films both it and its sequel inspired, had not been included in the primetime TV series because her storyline was considered too risque at the time. She was a featured character in the daytime soap.

The original main focuses of the show were Betty Anderson, Rodney Harrington, Constance MacKenzie, Elliot Carson, Allison MacKenzie, and Leslie Harrington. In the beginning, Michael Rossi was revealed not to be guilty for the murder he was on trial for at the end of Peyton Place. Allison returned to town following an absence of three years, during which she has seen life. A mysterious figure, Benny Tate, follows her and they marry. Benny, however, was suffering from a terminal disease and told his brother Jason about this, explaining he could no longer be with Allison. Instead of helping his brother, Jason followed Benny to town and took Benny's identity. Unlike Benny, Jason was very tough and treated Allison very badly. The constant beating led Allison to a drug addiction, which she eventually kicked. Nevertheless, she has retained her vulnerability. She started working for the town newspaper and was involved in an ecology project.